Even as Chief Minister Bindeshwari Dubey completed a year in office on March 12, growing dissidence within the Congress(I) and the political dust kicked up by Janata Party President Chandra Shekhar's "kranti march" gave him little cause for celebration. Though Dubey himself claimed to be fully in command, his detractors, notably Jagannath Mishra, left no opportunity to embarrass him while the disquiet in the party mounted to panic proportions.

It was this panic that drove over a 100 Congress(I) legislators to the house of Kumbh Narain Sardar, MLA, to voice concern over the "inaction" of both the chief minister and PCC(I) chief Dumar Lal Baitha in the face of the "resounding success" of the Opposition-sponsored February 26 Bharat Bandh in Bihar and the growing enthusiasm for Chandra Shekhar's padyatra. Said a rebel: "If we depend on this leadership the party will be wiped out."

Chandra Shekhar on padyatra

A delegation of the dissidents led by Jaikumar Palit rushed to Delhi to submit a memorandum to T. Anjaiah, AICC(I) general secretary in charge of Bihar. They claimed that Anjaiah told them he had informed the high command that if Dubey was to continue as chief minister, Mishra should either be removed from the party or given his due place. Encouraged, the three groups of dissidents decided to join hands against Dubey.

In a fierce attack in the Assembly soon after this, Mishra criticised the state's "surplus budget". Said Mishra: "By showing a surplus, the state Government has forfeited its right for special Central assistance." The budget, showing a surplus of Rs 22.53 crore, only confirmed Mishra's allegation that funds had not been utilised.

But Dubey argued that the surplus was only an affirmation of the Government's success in mobilising additional resources, not of its inability to spend them. "A state which can mobilise additional resources should not necessarily go for a deficit budget," he argued.

Though Dubey's aides said the chief minister was unruffled by all the political buffeting, the chief minister decided it was time he shored up his flanks. Said Dubey at a CLP meeting: "You elected me the leader with the consent of the high command and if you have any grievance, you should tell the high command instead of rushing to the press. We are all party colleagues and I have to be with you whether I remain chief minister or not."

The meeting had its desired effect as a majority of the legislators present expressed confidence in his leadership. Dubey called another CLP meeting on March 10 to chalk out the parry's strategy to counter the march. It was here that the rebels asked him to step down, saving he no longer enjoyed their confidence, and walked out chanting anti-Dubey slogans. They later held a meeting at the house of MLA S.P. Roy, where it was decided to request party Vice-President Arjun Singh to send an observer.

Dissidents' meet in Patna: open revolt

There is little doubt that a major political confrontation is building up. The Save Democracy Front led by leader of the Opposition Karpoori Thakur and comprising all the major opposition parties save the BJP, has already called for dissolution of the Assembly on the grounds that last March's poll had been rigged. They also announced launching of an agitation to press their nine-point charter of demands from March 19.

Chandra Shekhar's kranti march, slated to climax with a huge meeting in Patna on March 18 to coincide with the day 11 years ago when JP gave his call for a "total revolution", has added to the state's political tempo. The paradox is that many of JP's associates who were in the forefront of his movement - including Narendra Kumar Singh, Dr Ramjatan Singh and Dr Jagdish Sharma - are now Congress(I) MLA'S while those who had vehemently criticised the movement - like Shankar Dayal Singh and Raghunath Jha - are now in the forefront of the kranti march. Quipped Sara Roy, head of the JP Vichar Manch: "The padyatra is in fact a padyatra (walk for post)." Bihar's confusion is only getting more confounded.

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